


and if you’re still breathing, you’re the lucky ones

by kusege



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: (although this fic does focus on Wendy so it’s more about her), (spoiler alert: its all the characters), About half a second of mild implied, Autistic Character, Echolalia, Gen, Non-Verbal/Semi-Verbal Character, Sibling-like bonding through climbing shit, Suicidal Ideation, death mention, me looking at Abigail and then looking at Winona: the cinematic parallels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:13:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23243065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kusege/pseuds/kusege
Summary: Shadows settle on the place that you leftOur minds are troubled by the emptinessDestroy the middle, it's a waste of timeFrom the perfect start to the finish lineYouth - DaughterHalf me trying to get a feel for Wendy, half me trying to make Wendy’s update about Winona, because I have a favorite.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	and if you’re still breathing, you’re the lucky ones

There was a loud rumbling, and a crack, and Winona ran and grabbed Wendy by the collar of her shirt. The girl squeaked in protest as she was yanked out of the way of the boulder, which landed with a sickening crunch right where she had been standing seconds before. Winona held her close to her hip as she raised the lantern up, squinting at the ceiling of the cavern. 

“All clear, I think,” she said, panting ever so slightly from the impressive sprint she’d had to do to save Wendy from certain death. “You okay, kiddo?”

Wendy was fiddling with the flower in her hands, quietly whispering to Abigail, and Abigail drew close to her sister and wrapped around her in ghostly light. Wendy got as close to smiling as she ever did. She also did not answer.

“Yeah, you’re okay.” Winona sighed as she looked up ahead. “I swear, if this - Abby, stay with your sister, I gotta check something.” She rushed off with the lantern.

Abigail twirled around her sister slowly, watching to see that her soft glow did not leave Wendy’s face. Wendy continued to stroke the flower’s petals between her fingers and whisper words only she knew, snatches of Latin, seance scripts. Slowly, her shoulders became less tense. Near-death experiences were about the only thing that could truly unsettle her anymore - death was something she was far too used to for that to upset her.

Winona’s footsteps echoed as she returned. “Alright, kiddo, I got some news. Cave-in blocked part of the path up ahead - or nearly blocked it.”

“So we are doomed to backbreaking again?” Wendy wasn’t really complaining - well, she was - but she was also just asking, the only way she knew how.

“What? No, like I said, it’s not fully blocked. The path’s full, but those boulders are pretty big. We just gotta climb up on 'em and get through.”

Wendy went back to fidgeting with the flower petals.

“...You alright?”

“...I don’t like climbing.” Abigail cooed and seemed to try to hug her sister closer. Wendy mumbled more Latin under her breath.

“Mmhm, I see…” Winona clicked her tongue a few times as she thought. “Think you can manage a piggyback ride?”

Wendy looked at her before shrugging. 

“Great. Glad that’s settled. Come on, now, we’d better get moving.” Winona took Wendy’s hand and guided her through the caves, as Wendy’s gaze stayed focused on her flower. She did not trip as she walked. She had a lot of practice.

The three of them paused in front of the spot of the main cave-in. There was, indeed, a massive pile of rocks, fully covering the narrow path blocking them from the main part of the caverns, where their summer base was. Wendy looked down into the abyss at the edges of the path. She couldn’t see any boulders, but she was certain that some must have spilled over the edges in the cave-in. It would only make sense.

Winona cracked her knuckles, enjoying how the sound echoed in the empty cavern. “Been a lil’ while since I had to do this, but I think I’ll manage just fine. Ready to get on, kid?”

Wendy hummed quietly, still staring into the abyss. Winona turned to look at her, uncertain of what to do, before sighing. “Wendy. We can’t stay here all day.”

It was so dark. Such a long fall.

“Wendy?”

She almost wanted to lean forward. Look down into the darkness, look down into the ocean,  _ come look Wendy, I think I saw- _

A hand on her shoulder. She jumped as she was pulled away from something for the second time in ten minutes. Winona stared down at her. “Kid, you were about to topple right off the edge, there. I don’t wanna get back to camp missin’ anyone, you hear?”

Wendy nodded, not meeting her eyes, but reaching out to squeeze her hand. Winona sighed. “Alright, that’ll do. Just… get on my back, and hold on tight, ‘mkay?”

Wendy looked down at the flower still in her hands.

“You should put that in your pocket so it doesn’t get ruined.”

She frowned, but reluctantly nodded, knowing Winona was right. It wasn’t like she was giving it up. It was there, just in her skirt pockets instead of her hands. And Abby wasn’t going to stop existing, she wasn’t going anywhere. Wendy put the flower away, and looked Winona in the face, as if telling her she was ready.

“All packed up? Great,” she said, peppy smile on her face. “Now, hop on.” Winona crouched onto the ground, ensuring Wendy had plenty of time to climb onto her back, wrapping her arms tight around Winona’s neck.

Wendy didn’t know where to look as Winona climbed. If she looked down, she’d see the ground moving further and further away, but if she looked up ahead, she’d see the rocks, and Winona’s hands on them, and she didn’t want to think about this any more than she had to. Left and right were both nothing more than pitch black, and so was up, and looking back was uncomfortable. Wendy squeezed her eyes shut instead.

She felt her sister’s glow ebb as Winona slowly moved, struggling to climb while holding the lantern. “Ah, screw it,” she said, about two minutes and ten feet in, and used a length of rope she kept in her overalls to tie the lantern around her waist. Wendy started whispering the seance script again. 

They were moving faster now, although the lantern kept clanging against the edges of boulders, causing a nasty noise that made both of them grit their teeth. Still, Wendy felt that the climb was taking forever, and, despite her sister’s whispers of  _ don’t look down, it only makes you more afraid, _ Wendy slowly peeked her eyes open and glanced at the ground. She then tightened her grip around Winona’s neck and buried her face in her shirt.

“Woah, honey, you alright?”

Wendy tried to answer, found it impossible, settled for shaking her head. 

“Don’t worry. We’re nearly at the top, anyways. Then we’ll make our way down nice and slow, alright?”

A nod, slight, but still tangible through the fabric of Winona’s shirt.

“Alright. You just keep holding on, kiddo. You’re doin’ great.”

Wendy kept her eyes closed and focused on her breathing. Her hands were cold with sweat and she kept remembering just how far down the ground really was, and it was a struggle not to quietly whine with every breath.

Abigail whispered reassurances from her position above Wendy’s shoulder. Wendy was so focused on listening to them that it took her a moment to realize she wasn’t the only one speaking.

“Move the hand, three points of contact, push  _ up _ \- and now the leg, nope, not there,  _ yes _ there, and  _ up _ \- you’re doing great, Wendy, you just hold on, and  _ up _ -“

The rhythm of Winona’s patter was soothing in an oddly familiar way. Maybe it was long-forgotten memories of stories she’d heard once. Maybe it was less-forgotten memories of how Abigail showed her how she got to the very top of the tallest tree in their yard. 

“Alright, halfway there,” Winona said with a huff as she scaled the top of the boulders. “Headed down’ll probably be a bit faster, since I can see the footholds instead of just hoping. You holdin’ up back there?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Great. Keep doing that. We’ll be back on solid ground in no time.”

Climbing down was in fact faster than climbing up. How much, Wendy wasn’t sure, since she’d been near paralyzed with fear on their way up, but between Abigail and Winona’s constant commentaries, she managed to keep her mind off it for the time being. 

When they finally made it to the bottom, Winona sighed with relief. “Last stop, kiddo, time to get off.” She went to crouch, but Wendy dropped off from standing - not too far a fall, given that Wendy was very tall for her age and Winona not especially tall for hers. “Well. That works too.”

Wendy waited patiently as Winona untied the lantern, taking her hand as soon as the rope was put away again. (The other hand was back in the pocket of her skirt, stroking the petals of Abigail’s flower.) Winona blinked at her. “You need somethin?”

Wendy shook her head.

“If you say so.” Winona started leading the way back to camp. About ten minutes later, Wendy spoke.

“You climb rocks just how my sister used to.”

Winona responded about five minutes later.

“You hold on just how mine did.”


End file.
